Machine for filling cans.



No. 808,216. PATENTED DEG. 26,1905. D. W. RATHBONE.

MACHINE FOR FILLING CANS.

APPLICATION rILEp SEPT. 21, 1903.

RENEWED APR. 10.1905.

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INVENTOR. fifmfifime 2a zf WITNESSES vmfi a%@/ {1 TTORNEY.

N0. 808,216. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905. D. W. RATHBONE. MACHINE FOR FILLING CANS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 190a. RENEWED APR. 10.1905

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MACHINE FOR FILLING CANS.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

Application filed September 21, 1903. Renewed April 10, 1905. Serial No. 254,855.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DWIGHT WAsHBURN RATHBONE, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Seattle, in the county of King and State of WVashington, have invented certain new and useful 1mprovements in Machines for Filling Cans, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for filling cans, and has special reference to an apparatus of this class which is especially adapted to fill cans with fish-meat.

Among numerous objects attained by this invention and readily understood from the following specification and accompanying drawings included as a part thereof is the production of a simplified and inexpensive can-filling machine embodying essential features of adaptability, utility, and general efficiency, which facilitates the operation of canning, avoids waste of the filling, and insures positive placement of a full weight of material in the can.

The above-mentioned and other desirable objects are attained by the constructions, conibinations, and arrangements of parts as disclosed on the drawings, set forth in this specification, and succinctly pointed out in the appended claims.

lVith reference to the drawings filed herewith and bearing like reference characters for corresponding parts throughout, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the knife adapted to set'er the core of filling and the valve for the core-box removed and shown on large scale. Fig. 3 is a view in diametrical section of the core-box and shows the knife closed and the valve open and in relative section and also shows by broken lines a portion of the throat of the box. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the machine viewed from the opposite side relatively to Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the machine, taken transversely of the main frame through the receptacle, core-box, and throat, and shows the machine with portions of the parts broken away at one side; and Fig. 6 is a view in perspective of one of the jaws of the can-grip removed from the machine.

W'ith reference to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a main frame of any desired construction adaptable for the support of the several parts of the apparatus, and consisting, in the present instance, of a base 11, opposite side frames 12, and beams 14, connected with the side frames at suitable points to support the overhead parts of the machine. This invention includes a receptacle for the filling, which is open at the top and formed substantially U-shaped, viewed in vertical section taken transversely the edge walls, Fig. 5, and the upper portions of one edge wall and adjacent portions of the side walls of this receptacle are flared outwardly to providea hopper, as 16, and at the-base of the inner surface of this hopper a horizontally-disposed knife 17 is arranged along the wall with the blade projecting upwardly and conveniently formed by drawing a portion of the metal comprising the wall ofthe receptacle to a sharp edge along the base of the edge and side walls of the hopper. Immediately below the hopper a discharge-orifice is formed in the bottom portion of the wall of receptacle 15, and a downwardly-extending tubular throat 17 is connected with the receptacle at this orifice and formed with a circular bore, which is slightly restricted in diameter just below said orifice and is formed longitudinally of the throat on a compound curve.

At the outer end of throat 17 is placed a core-box 18, which is formed with a verticallydisposed circular bore substantially equal in diameter to the bore of said throat and registers therewith, Fig. 3, and at the upper or receiving end of the box is arranged a transversely-disposed knife 19, consisting of a single rectangular blade 20, and 20 a double rectangular blade, Fig. 2. These blades are slidably mounted in a suitable seat 18, consisting of a channel extending transversely through the core-box and of suitable size to receive the knife with the double blade slidably embracing the single blade, and these blades are formed with transverse openings 21 in their inner end portions of suitable size to clear the mouth of the bore of the box when the knife stands open with said openings in alinement with each other, Fig. 2. The opening in the single blade 20 is formed with rear portion 22 of the wall extending diagonally across the blade relatively to the line of action of the knife, and the rear portions 22 of the openings in the double blade 20 are likewise diagonally disposed, so that when the knife is closing these diagonal edges of the openings in the blades will approach each other and act to shear the meat core or filling, and the blades are formed of suitable length rearwardly of the openings to seal the core-box at the receiving end when the knife is shut.

The blade 20 is formed with a duct or passage-way 23, Fig. 3, preferably formed in a longitudinally-disposed rib 24, arranged on the upper surface of the blade, and this duct opens through the bottom surface of the blade at a point closely adjacent the rear edge of the opening 21 and opens through the upper surface of said rib adjacent the rear edge of the blade and is incorporated as a convenient means by which compressed air is directed to the core-box to forcibly eject the severed portion of the core from the box into the can. In the top portion of the wall of the knife-seat 18 a port 25 is formed at a suitable point to register with the duct 23 when the knife stands closed, and a conduit 26 leads from this opening to a receiver 27, which is supplied with compressed air from a suitable air-pump 27, driven from the driving mechanism of the machine in any convenient manner.

At the discharge end of the core-box is slidably mounted atransversely-disposed gatevalve 28, which consists of a rectangular platemetal body having an opening 28 of suitable size to clear the bore when the valve is open, and this valve is opened as the knife is closing and stands closed when the knife is open, so that the filling passed to the core-box when the knife is open will be retained by the valve until the knife is closed to sever the core, when the severed portion will be ejected through the opening in the valve by compressed air discharging beneath the knife into the core-box.

The blades 20 and 20 are connected at the outer ends with respective opposite slideblocks 29, which are mounted in suitable guides 30, arranged at opposite sides of the core-box on base 11, and these blocks are cooperatively connected by means of a lever 31, connected at one end with the block of the single blade by a link 32, and a rod 33 pivotally connected with the opposite end of said lever and with the slide-block of the double blade, and the gate-valve 28 is secured at the outer end with the slide-block, so that it is conveniently opened and closed correlatively to the knife, which is operated intermittently, to afford ample time for the replacement and filling of the cans through the medium of a telescoping rod 34:, connected with one of the slide-blocks 29, preferably the one carrying the double blade and operated by a crank 35. This rod 34 includes a tubular section 34: which is pivotally connected at one end with a swinging hanger 35 and slidably engaged at the opposite end with a bar 36, pivotally connected with said slideblock and fitting within the tubular section at the outer end and formed with a longitudinally-disposed slot 36', Fig. 1, slidably engaging a suitable'stop-pin disposed transversely the tubular section, and this slot is rendered of suitable length to give the desired intervals of rest to the knife by allowing said tubular section to travel independently of the bar 36 during a predetermined period at each end of the stroke of crank 35, which is operatively connected with said tubular section through the medium of a pitman 37 and is fixedly mounted on a transversely-disposed drive-shaft 37, supported in suitable journals arranged on the main frame.

Operating infilling-receptacle 15 is a conveyer 38, which is adapted to force the filling from the receptacle into the throat and includes an endless link belt 39, composed of pivotally-connected links of substantially the same width as the receptacle between its side walls. This belt is mounted on opposite sprockets 40, one of which is rotatably supported substantially concentric with the bottom wall of the receptacle on an axle 40, seated in the side walls of said receptacle, and the other sprocket is secured to an overhead shaft 40", rotatably supported in suitable journals arranged on the beams of the frame 10, with the shafts slightly rearwardly of the axle 4E0 relatively to hopper 16, so as to cause the active run of conveyer-belt 39 to rest against a vertical backing-plate 41, which is secure in the receptacle back of the belt at the hopper, and thereby prevent the filling from getting behind the belt and said plate. Upon the outer side face of the links of belt 39 flights, as 42, are secured at equidistantlyspaced points, and these flights are formed of suitable size to fit snugly but freely between the side walls of the receptacle and between the belt and edge wall below the hopper, and are each preferably formed substantially V shape, with the outer side surface 43 of one stem convex, Fig. 5. The active run of this conveyer travels downwardly through the receptacle from the hopper and passes the discharge-orifice, and the flights are arranged to present their convex sides for pressure upon the filling, and thereby better act as they approach the discharge-orifice to crowd the filling therethrough.

At the rear edge of the discharge-orifice relatively to the direction of travel of the conveyer a movable deflector L4 is arranged to normally lie across the path of the flight and act to direct the filling to the dischargeorifice. This deflector consists of a platemetal body slidably fitting between the side walls of the receptacle and seated in a suitable slot formed in the bottom wall and yieldiiigly held in closed position by suitable springs, as 45, which consist of opposite spring-levers seated at one end on the throat and engaged at the free ends with suitable ears secured to the deflector at the outer cor ners. The convex surfaces of the flights 42 will act to force the deflector outwardly; but, if desired, the deflector is conveniently opened correlatively to the travel of the flights of the conveyer through the medium of opposite alternately-acting trip-rods 46, connected at one end with respective oppositely-disposed cranks 47 on the shaft 40", and each trip-rod is formed with a heel 48 on the lower end portion, arranged at a suitable point to engage-a respective wiper, as a pin 49, secured to the deflector as the base edge of the convex face of a relative flight approaching the deflector reaches the inner side edge thereof, and the relative crank 47 is formed of suitable throw to move said deflector outwardly correlatively to the advance of the flight when the trip-rod is so engaged, so that said edge of the deflector will scrape across the face of the flight and remove the filling from same. As the flight clears the closed position of the deflector the heel of the acting trip-rod wipes clearof the relative wiper 49 and the springs 45 retract the deflector, and suitable springs, as 49', are arranged to yieldingly hold the free end portions of the trip-rods adjacent respective wipers to insure the engagement of heel 48 therewith.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the deflector is opened twice during each revolution of shaft 40, and the flights 42 are consequently so disposed on belt 39 that two will pass the discharge-orifice in the receptacle at each revolution of said shaft.

The core-severing knife 19 and gate-valve 28 are operated intermittently correlatively to the movements of the flights, so that the filling will be suitably compressed in throat 17 as the knife stands closed and the compressed filling forced into the core-box as the knife stands open and the gate-valve stands closed, and when the knife closes it acts to sever the compressed core, and the severed portion is ejected from the box as the valve stands open.

Beneath the core-box is a suitable intermittently-operating conveyer adapted to place and replace the cans relatively to the box, and this conveyer includes a link belt, as 51, having upwardly-projecting lugs 54 to engage the cans and mounted on opposite sprockets 52, arranged at each side of the base of frame 10 and secured to rotary shafts 53, supported by suitable journals arranged to bring the upper run of the conveyer-belt directly beneath the bore of the core-box at suitable separation from the lower end of the box to give free clearance of the cans when resting on the belt. Upon the base 11 directly beneath the core-box is a suitable can-gripping device consisting of opposite jaws 55, which grip the upper ends of the cans and are slidably mounted in suitable guides, as 56, seated on said base at opposite sides of the conveyer-belt 51 and are adapted to hold the cans steady while the filling is passed thereto from the core-box.

Each of these jaws consists of a section of plate metal concaved at one end to afford a gripping surface and yieldingly held in advanced position by a bowed leaf-spring 56, Fig. 6, which is secured at one end to the lower end of a downwardly-projecting stem 57, attached to said plate at one side edge, and the spring bears at the other end against the forward end of a respective guide 56 and bows outwardly. so as to yieldingly hold the jaw in advanced position against a suitable stop 58 and lie in the path of movement of the lower end of the cans as placed for filling, so that the carriers will act to open the jaws as they advance by forcing said springs outwardly, and a laterally-projecting arm 57 is secured to each stem 57 at the lower end and extends inwardly relatively to the path of movement of cans as removed at suitable inclination to contact with the can gripped by the jaws, so that when the placed can is moved for replacement it will force these arms apart against action of spring 56, and thereby open the jaws to clear them of the can.

The can-conveying belt 51 is conveniently operated intermittently and correlatively to the action of knife 19 by means of pawl-andratchet mechanism, which includes a ratchetwheel 59, secured to shaft 53 of one of the sprockets 52, Fig. 5, and a pawl 60, pivotally mounted on a carrier-head 61, journaled on said shaft and pivotally connected with one end of a connecting-rod 62, which is engaged at the opposite end with a crank 63, secured to a shaft 63, which is rotatably supported in suitable journals and operatively connected with shaft 40 by a suitably-supported vertically-disposed cross-shaft 64 and suitable differential gearing 64 of requisite pitch diameters to revolve shaft 63 twice during each complete action of knife 19, so that pawl will be thereby reciprocated once and move belt 51 one step to replace the can at the core-box correlatively to severing actions of knife 19.

The shaft 40" is conveniently driven from drive-shaft 37 by means of a suitably-supported vertical cross-shaft 65 and differential gearing 65 of requisite pitch diameters to reduce the speed of shaft 40 to the desired speed, and shaft 37 is conveniently driven through the medium of a belt leading from a suitable driving-pulley (not shown) to a pulley 66, Fig. 1, secured on said shaft.

At the end of the can-conveyer where the cans are received thereby is a salting device 67, which is suitably supported above the conveyer and includes a box 68, having a discharge-opening in the bottom wall normally closed by a slide-valve 69, which is slidably seated on the bottom of the box and formed with a transverse opening 70, suitably arranged to register intermittently with said discharge-opening. In this box are opposite salt-breakers consisting of disks 71, secured to a spindle 74 and having teeth 72 on their IIO opposing side faces, and this spindle is supported in suitable apertures in the side Walls of the box and is driven by a belt passing from a pulley 73 on shaft 37 and about a pulley 73 on said spindle. The valve 69 is opened to allow salt to discharge through opening 70 and the discharge-aperture in the box by means of a lever 75, which is pivotally engaged at one end with the valve and pivotally connected at the opposite end with one end of a connecting-rod 76, which is pivotally engaged with the connecting-rod 62, which drives the pawl-carrier and is thereby made to open and close the valve correlatively to the steps of the can-conveyer.

This can-filling machine is especially adapted to handle fish-bodies after they are dressed without requiring their previous severance into small sections and avoids mutilating or breaking the fiber of the flesh as the dressed fish bodies are received between the flights on the conveyer-belt 39 and forced tail foremost into throat 17, and the knife 19 acts to sever the bodies transversely into sections of the required length to fill the cans.

By arranging the trimming-knife 17 at the base of the hopper bones or the like which may project from the filling when placed piecemeal into the hopper will be trimmed thereby as the filling is carried forward by the flights 42, and by restricting the diameter of the passage-way in throat 17 slightly at the receiving end and curving same the filling is more uniformly compressed and kept from becoming congested in the throat, while the compressed fluid ejects the severed portions of the core from the core-box in a most rapid and satisfactory manner.

Granted placement of filling in the fillingreceptacle and cans on the can placing and replacing conveyer, an operation of the machine would occur substantially as follows: As the conveyor 38 advances filling is forced from the receptacle into throat 17 against knife 19 when standing closed and into the core-box against gate-valve 28 when said knife stands open. As the core-severing knife closes the gate-valve opens and compressed air is admitted to the box on the line of cut of the knife and forces the severed portion of the core into the placed can, which moves away and is replaced as the valve is closing and the knife is again opening. As the flights 12 ap proach deflector 44: the convex surfaces thereon act to force same outwardly, or if the triprods are incorporated they act successively to move the deflector from the path of the flights, as heretofore set forth.

It will be understood that I do not confine myself to themechanism shown for operating the several coacting parts of the machine, as they can be variously modified and altered without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States of America, is-

1. In a can-fillingmachine; the combination of a main frame, a filling-receptacle, a corebox, means to forcibly pass filling from said receptacle to the box, a core-severing knife operating in said box, and means to introduce compressed fluid intermittently to said box at the inner end of the severed portion of the core.

2. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a main frame, a filling-receptacle, a corebox in communication With said receptacle, means to forcibly pass filling from said receptacle to the box, a core-severing knife adjacent the receiving end of said box, and means to introduce compressed fluid intermittently to said box at the line of cut of said knife.

3. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a main frame, a filling-receptacle, a core box in communication with said receptacle, means to forcibly pass filling from said receptacle to said box, a core-severing knife intermittently sealing the receiving end of said box, an intermittently-operating gate-valve at the discharge end of said box, and means to introduce compressed fluid intermittently to said box.

4. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a main frame, a substantially U-shaped filling-receptacle having a discharge-orifice in the bottom, an endless conveyer-belt operating in said receptacle and having flights thereon, an intermittently-operating deflector normally lying across the path of said flights, a throat extending from said orifice, a core-box at the outer end of said throat, and an intermittentl yoperating core-severing knife at the receiving end of said box.

5. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a main frame, a substantially U-shaped filling-receptacle having a discharge-orifice in the wall, an endless conveyer-belt operating in said receptacle, a core-severing knife at the receiving end of said box, a gate-valve at the discharge end of the box, means to introduce compressed fluid to said box intermittently at the line of cut of said knife, and intermittently-acting can placing and replacing mechanism.

6. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a main frame, a filling-receptacle, a corebox in communication with said receptacle, means to forcibly pass filling from said receptacle to the box, a core-severing knife at the receiving end of said box, a gate-valve at the discharge end of the box, means to introduce compressed fluid to said box intermittently at the line of cut of said knife, and intermittently-acting means to place and replace cans relatively to the discharge end of said box.

7. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a main frame, a substantially U-shaped filling-receptacle having aVdischarge-orifice in the bottom, a pair of wheels, one of which is mounted in said receptacle substantially concentric With the bottom thereof, an endless conveyer-belt mounted on said Wheels and having flights, and an intermittently-operating deflector adjacent the rear edge of said orifice normally lying across the path of said flights.

8. In acan-filling machine; the combination of a main frame, a substantially U-shaped filling-receptacle having a discharge-orifice in the bottom, a pair of sprocket-Wheels, one of which is mounted in said receptacle substantially concentric With the bottom thereof, an endless con veyer-beltmounted on said sprockets and having flights formed convex on their active side surfaces, and an outwardly-movable deflector normally lying across the path of said flights and yieldingly held in said position.

9. In acan-filling machine; the combination of a main frame, a filling-receptacle having a discharge-orifice, a conveyer-belt operating in said receptacle and having flights formed convex on their active side surfaces, and an outwardly-movable deflector normally lying across the path of said flights and yieldingly held in said position.

10. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a main frame, a filling-receptacle having a discharge-orifice in the bottom, a pair of sprockets, one of Which is mounted in said receptacle adjacent the bottom thereof, a conveyer-belt mounted on said sprockets and having flights formed convex on their active side surfaces, an intermittently-operating deflector normally lying across the path of said flights, a throat extending outwardly from said orifice, a core-box at the outer end of said throat, a core-severing knife at the receiving end of said box and a gate-valve at the discharge end.

11. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a main frame, a substantially U-shaped filling-receptacle having a discharge-orifice in the bottom adjacent one edge Wall, a pair of sprockets, one of Which is mounted in said receptacle substantially concentric With the bottom thereof, a conveyer-belt mounted on said sprockets and having flights, an intermittently-operating deflector normally lying across the path of said flights, a throat at said orifice formed with a passage-Way restricted in diameter adjacent the receiving end and extending outwardly at a compound curve, and a core-severing knife intermittently sealing the outer end of said throat.

12. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a main frame, a filling-receptacle hav-' ing a discharge-orifice, a pair of sprockets, one of which is mounted in the receptacle adjacent said orifice, a conveyer-belt mounted on said sprockets and having flights, an intermittently-operating deflector normally lying across the path of said flights, a core-box in communication With said orifice, a coresevering knife adjacent the receiving end of said box, and means to place and replace cans relatively to the discharge end of said box.

13. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a main frame, a filling-receptacle having a discharge-orifice, a continuously-moving endless conveyer-belt operating in said receptacle and having flights, an intermittently-operating spring-retracted deflector normally lying across the path of said flights, a corebox in communication With said orifice, an in termittently-operating core-severing knife adjacent the receiving end of said box, an intermittently-operating gate-valve at the discharge end of said box, means to introduce compressed fluid into said box intermittently at the line of out of said knife, intermittently acting can placing and replacing mechanism and means to operate said knife, valve and can moving mechanism correlatively.

14. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a core-box, a knife comprising oppositely-disposed overlapping blades composed of sections of plate metal having transverse openings adjacent their inner ends and slidably mounted transversely said box at its receiving end, a gate-valve at the discharge end of said box, means to intermittently reciprocate said blades, and valve simultaneously, and means to introduce compressed fluid intermittently to said box.

15. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a core-box, a core-severing knife adjacent the receiving end of said box and arranged to intermittently seal said end, agatevalve at the discharge end of said box, means to introduce compressed fluid intermittently to said box, and intermittently-acting can placing and replacing mechanism arranged at the discharge end of said box.

16. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a core-box formed With a knife-seat having a port in the Wall connected With a source of fluid-supply, and a core-severing knife operating in said seat and having a duct arranged to intermittently register with said port.

17. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a core-box formed with a transverselyarranged knife-seat having a port in the Wall connected With a source-of fluid-supply, and a core-severing knife operating in said seat and normally closing said port and having a duct opening to said box and arranged to intermittently register With said port.

18. In a can-filling machine; the combination With a filling-receptacle, a conveyer operatingtherein, and a trimming-knife in said receptacle embracing the conveyer.

19. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a filling-receptacle, a conveyer-belt operating therein and having flights, and a trimming-knife in said receptacle embracing" the active run of the conveyer.

20. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a filling-receptacle, a hopper, a conveyer operating in said hopper, and atrimming-knife in said receptacle at the base of said hopper and embracing; the eonveyer.

21. In a can-filling machine; the combination of a filling-receptacle, a hopper, a conveyerbelt operating in said receptacle and 

